About a Boy (2002)

Moan and Grown

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Based on Nick Hornby's novel, this movie allows Hugh Grant a fresh attempt at a more mature role. He plays Will, an independently wealthy sod who prefers to do nothing with his time except buy expensive things. "I am an island," he declares, and frankly, he's a lot of fun. He begins dating a single mother, and a nerdy kid, Marcus (Nicholas Hoult), comes into his life. At first he tries rebuffing this new annoyance, but eventually Marcus wins him over and Will's nasty side evaporates. The rest of the movie is a duel between Marcus' mother (Toni Collette) and another woman, Rachel (Rachel Weisz), for Will's heart. The second half of the film more or less betrays the first half, and the goopy results are not terribly satisfying. But for a while the movie has lots of laughs, and a fun Christmas theme besides.